


Empty Promises.

by shannonsaid



Category: Choices: Stories You Play, Choices: Witness: A Bodyguard Romance (Visual Novel), The Nanny Affair (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:02:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27178946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shannonsaid/pseuds/shannonsaid
Summary: Not every story has a happy ending.
Relationships: Marshal Keane/Main Character (Witness: A Bodyguard Romance), Marshal Keane/Olivia Schuyler, Robin Flores/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	Empty Promises.

Robin pulled into the parking lot of Edenbrook Hospital with a soft grin on his face. He glanced at the bouquet of flowers sitting in his passenger seat, and his grin grew.

Emily had been at a nurses conference for the last handful of days, and Robin had decided to surprise her with a visit. He knew he’d probably look like the crazy fiancé, showing up unannounced, but he didn’t care. Emily made him want to be the crazily in love fiancé.

Robin scooped up the flowers, before exiting the car and making his way toward the front of the hospital. As he walked by the employee entrance a flash of movement caught his eye. Glancing toward the doors, Robin felt as if the ground gave way beneath him.

He hand found his fiancée, and she was kissing another man.

He didn’t know how long he stood there watching, before the sound of the flowers hitting the pavement pulled him from the scene that was slowly breaking his heart.

Robin didn’t remember the walk back to his car, or the 30 minute drive from Boston to Salem. He didn’t remember walking through the white picket fence and up the walkway beside the large willow tree that took up most of the front yard, or knocking on the white door of the quaint steel blue sided house. Every time he opened or closed his eyes, all he could see was Emily's hands on the face of another man, her lips on his, his hands running down the middle of her back.

The door pulled open in front of him, “Robin?”

Robin stared at Olivia, choking down the sob trying to tear its way through his throat. “Emily’s cheating on me.” He managed to choke out.

Olivia’s eyes widened in surprise, before she pulled herself together. Biting back the flood of questions she had swirling in her mind, she stepped back from the door and Robin stumbled inside. She steered him toward the couch, and sat down beside him.

“Who was at the door, mo chuisle?” Cassian asked, his Irish accent echoing through his words. Noticing Robin on the couch, his brows knitted together in concern. “Robbie?”

Robin could hear the worry in his friends voice, but couldn’t bring himself to answer or look at him. He kept his eyes on his knees, the promise of tears clouding his vision. Clasping his hands together, he watched his knuckles turn white.

The feeling of unworthiness clawed at his already shattered heart, carving a hole into his chest, and leaving him empty and broken.

“Why am I never enough?” Robin croaked, closing his eyes to stem the flow of tears.

“Robin, no.” Olivia said softly, shaking her head. “You’re more than enough.”

Robin’s hands fell open on his knees. “Then why is she cheating?” 

“Robbie.” Robin lifted his head, his gaze traveling to Cassian, who was propped against the wall. “What happened?”

Robin felt the tears slip down his face, while the fragmented pieces of his heart thumped painfully against his chest. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he recounted what he had found waiting for him when he arrived at Edenbrook. 

When Robin had first met Emily, she had taken his breath away, both literally and figuratively. And the more time he spent with her, the more he felt like he finally understood why everyone always made such a big deal about love. She had made him want to be a better man. For her, and for himself. He had found his _‘happily ever after.’_

But it was clear now that he had been wrong. Emily wasn’t his _‘happily ever after.’_ She was just another heartbreak in a lifetime of them.

The silence that follow Robin’s story pressed down on him. Emily was their friend too, and some part of him knew he shouldn’t have brought them into their problems. But, at the same time, Robin trusted Olivia and Cassian, and he needed someone he could trust.

Cassian’s voice cut through the silence. “Are you sure that’s what you saw, mate?”

Hope fluttered in his stomach for a moment at Cassian’s question, but was instantly replaced by a new wave of heartbreak, as what he had witnessed flashed into his mind.

“I wish it wasn’t.” He admitted. “Fuck, I wish it wasn’t.”

Olivia took Robin’s hand in hers. “Whatever you need, Robin.”

“Anything.” Cassian agreed.

His gaze bounced from Olivia to Cassian, as a sad smile lifted his lips. “Thank y -“

He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Shit.” Olivia and Cassian mumbled, their voices tinged with worried.

Olivia turned to face Robin, squeezing his hand. “That’s Emily.”

For the second time that day, Robin felt as if the earth had given way beneath him. “Wh-what?”

She shrugged, helplessly. “She was in Boston and asked if I wanted to get lunch after her conference was over for the day.”

The muffled voices of Cassian and Emily, caused the pair to fall silent.

Robin wanted to flee, to hide, but he couldn’t get his limbs or mind to cooperate. He felt like he was stuck in a nightmare that he couldn’t wake up from.

“Was that Rob’s car out front?” Emily’s voice asked. Her question was answered moments later when she entered the room. “Rob?”

Robin watched a flurry of emotions cross her face — excitement, doubt, worry, indifference — before she settled on a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Rob,” Emily tried again. “What a surprise!” She smiled again, this one more convincing than the last.

Robin humphed, the sound bitter. “I’m sure it is.”

“What -“ Emily took a deep breath. “What’s going on?”

Olivia squeezed his hand again, pulling his gaze to her. “Cass and I are going to go into town. The house is yours.”

He nodded at her gratefully, waiting until he heard the door close behind his friends, before turning his attention back to Emily. “How was your conference?”

“It was fine,” she replied slowly. “Rob, what’s going on?”

“It looked more than fine.” He said, ignoring her question.

“What -“

“Imagine my surprise,” he cut her off, his anger and pain taking over every other emotion. “When I come to surprise my fiancée, and I find her kissing another man.”

Emily’s eyes widened. “The flowers.”

“Found those, did you?” Robin squeezed his hands into fists, trying his best to keep his voice steady and the tears from falling.

“Rob, Rob.” She repeated, her voice low, almost panicked. “It wasn’t what -“

“Don’t.” He said sharply. “Don’t lie to me and tell me it wasn’t what it looked like.” He shook his head. “It was exactly what it looked like.” He released a breath, his ocean blue eyes meeting the smokey blue of hers. “You were the one thing I never hesitated to believe in.”

Emily’s own fists clenched at her sides, her jaw clenched. “I never asked for that.”

“What?”

“I never asked for that.” She repeated. “I never asked to be your shining star or your perfect fiancée.”

“I know -“

She shook her head, cutting him off. “You created this story in your head, making sure the characters fit your mold.” She closed her eyes, opening them again and looking everywhere but Robin’s face. “I didn’t ask for that.”

“No.” He agreed, the truth of her words breaking his heart more. “You didn’t, but when I asked you to marry me, you said yes. You made a promise. A promise that you loved me, and would love me.”

“It was a proposal, Robin! We’re not married yet!” Emily’s hands flew to her mouth at her admission. “Rob, that’s - that’s not what I meant.”

“Yes. It is.” Robin smiled sadly, all fight draining from him. “Did you ever love me, Emily?”

Her gaze flew to Robin’s, her eyes blazing with unshed tears. “I, what? Of course -“

He hummed, sagging further into the couch. “Was anything between us real?”

Emily continued to stare at him in silence. Every excuse and lie dying on her lips. Sliding the ring from her finger, she set it on the table that separated the two.

Robin didn’t move, staring at the ring as it reflected the late afternoon light, until he heard the door open and close behind her. Leaning forward, he plucked the ring from the table, running his fingers along the gold band.

His hand shook as he lifted the ring, reading the word inscribed along the inside of the band. _“Forever.”_

Closing his hand around the ring, a sob escaped his lips. It was clear to Robin now that the only thing that lasted forever in his life was his broken dreams and empty promises.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is not a companion piece to Metamorphoses. We don’t know the ending (or the beginning) to Robin and Emily’s story, yet, but it isn’t this. I felt like destroying something beautiful, so I did.
> 
> Also, according to Google Translate, ‘mo chuisle’ means ‘my pulse’ in Irish. If that’s wrong, blame Google. 😉


End file.
